Yellow

I love the color yellow. It’s so alive and  warm. It  also reminds me of so many things… a bright sun, a delicious sunny side up, and a cute duckling among others. For this week’s theme, let me share some beautiful pictures from my trip to South Korea last October. I can still not get over how beautiful autumn is and I probably won’t recover anytime soon. 🙂

Lovely colors. 🙂

Simply stunning, right? 🙂

These trees would look lovely with Christmas lights! 🙂 It’s almost Christmas everyone. How are going to spend the holidays?  I am off to my hometown tonight for much deserved break.  Hope I can still squish another post before the year ends. Happy Holiday! 🙂

Check out more “Yellow” posts at Daily Post. 

Angles in Seoul

Angles one can find in Seoul…

…on a cold night by the Banpo-Hangang bridge…

..in the palaces of Chandeokgung..

…and in the sturdy World Peace Monument.

 

 

Angular Photos at Daily Post.

Achievements

2014 has been a remarkable  year so far. I have been able to cross out a lot of things in my bucket list. Here are some of them:

1. Fire a real gun. I got lessons from the son of a general when I was in Guimaras last May!

Bang!

2. Have my passport stamped. I did not just get a stamp. I also had my first visa! My South Korea trip was so memorable because it’s my first overseas travel, and well…it’s South Korea and it was autumn! 🙂

<3.

3. Conquer my fear of water….slowly. I love beaches but I don’t snorkel, dive or do any sort of water activity that requires me to put my head under water. But when I was in Balicasag Island in Bohol last August, the life under the water was simply too beautiful to pass. I dipped my head in the the shallower parts of the sea just to witness what the fuss was all about. And boy, I am glad I did! 🙂

Minimalism

Of wondering…

 

 

In appreciating

 

 

More minimalist photos at Daily Post.

Dreamy

Siquijor is a quaint small island in the Central Visayas, Philippines. The island is perhaps best known for its tales of mambabarangs or sorcerers.  I visited Siquijor last month and I was quite surprised that its beauty goes far beyond the mysteries that people have associated it to. Its beaches are untouched by urbanity and its waters are one of the most turquoise I’ve seen in the Philippines. The picture in my previous post was in fact taken in Salagdoong Beach, in the town of Maria, Siquijor.

What caught my attention the most; however, were not the beaches but the Tupalos Marine Sanctuary and Tree Houses. The locals built a walkway and tree houses among the mature mangrove trees. The tree houses were even for rent! My favorite was the walkway that extends beyond the mangrove forest to a cottage in the open sea. The view was outstanding and I thought how nice it would be to live in such place and wake-up to the peaceful view. So dreamy!

Check out more dreamy places at Daily Post .

Playing with Silhouettes

I love silhouette shots. I love them more especially if they are taken during the golden hours (sunrise or sunset). At such circumstances, one need not be professional photographers to create beautiful shots. I hope I did the silhouette theme some justice. I have accumulated  them (again) from my various trips  in the Philippines.

Somewhere in the roads of Bohol.

Playing in the islands of Caramoan.

Sunset by the Iloilo river esplanade.

More Silhouette shots at Daily Post.

Philippines: In Textures

The Philippines is such a good subject for photography. One can get every imaginable texture because we have every landscape imaginable…volcanoes, waterfalls, limestone cliffs, etc. Who knows there is also a distinct advantage in being located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and in being in the path of typhoons? The only thing we probably don’t have is glaciers because obviously we are a tropical country. Here are some interesting “textures” I have come across for the past 2.5 years since I have started exploring the Philippines:

(Clockwise from L: (1) The rocky beach in Diguisit, Baler, (2) rocky cliff in Caramoan, Camrines Sur, (3) smooth limestone structure in Kapurpurawan, Ilocos Norte, and (4) punctured cliffs in Talicud Island, Samal.

 

More take on Texture at Daily Post.

Post Summer Lovin’

The summer is over in the Philippines. In fact, it’s been rainy for two months now! We even had a very strong typhoon last week. 😦 BUT in honor of this week’s theme, here’s some summer lovin’ photographs which I took last May when I went to a vacation in the provinces of Iloilo, Bacolod and Guimaras:

My friend, Cez, and our turtle friend.

In front of Jaro Church, one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.

Braving the heat just to take advantage of this beautiful cemetery.

 

Is still sunny in you part of the world? More “summer lovin” pics at Daily Post.

 

 

Cave and Contrast

There’s a very interesting cave in Guimaras Island cave the Baras Cave. It is situated separate from the main island so can it only be reached via boat. The island cave is full of contrasts…from the sharp and smooth stones inside, to the shallow and deep parts of the lagoon inside it, up to the light and dark contrasts created by several small entrances in the cave.

Baras Cave, Guimaras Island

 

 

Check out other “Contrast” entries at Daily Post.

Extra, Extra

I already talked about my adventures in the Ilocos provinces in previous posts. I haven’t come to sharing about Kapurpurawan Rock Formations yet though I will do so in my next travel post… hopefully. The way to the rock formations are surrounded by shallow bodies of water. I don’t know how they come about but they form some of the most beautiful natural attractions I have seen in the Philippines.

Unforgivable Extra!

As seen in photo above, the scenery provide such an amazing backdrop.  I have one qualm though…the locals decided to put a stature/monument of a crocodile! When I saw it, I almost shouted, “WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYY?”. I think the status is totally and unnecessary and just destroys the whole  feel of the place. Sorry Ilocos Norte government. I just feel that some natural attractions are better off untouched.

Check out the entries for this week’s photo challenge “Extra, Extra” at Daily Post.

 

What’s the Story Behind the Room?

It’s not unusual to see old Spanish houses in the Philippines after being a colony of Spain for more than 300 years. The best preserved Spanish houses are usually located in heritage cities like Vigan in Ilocos Sur, and Silay in Negros Occidental. I had the chance to visit one of the most famous heritage house in Silay City last May, the Balay Negrense. The museum is also known as the 117-year old ancestral house of Victor Gaston. The room that caught my attention the most from that house is the girl’s room:

According to the tour guide, the things in the room used to be property of the Gaston daughters. I remember being spooked out particularly by the dolls. They remind me of horror movies involving Chucky. I cant’ help but wonder, what were their stories? And if these dolls can project scenes, what stories would they tell?

Check out the entries for this week’s photo challenge entitled Room.

Work of Art

I went  to the provinces of Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Guimaras just a few weeks ago. One thing that stood out during that trip was these provinces has all kinds of churches  imaginable. In fact, I was able to visit a total of eight (8) churches including the Miag-ao Church, a UNESCO World Hertige Site. The strongest points of these churches vary–old age, architecture, sculptures inside the church, etc.  Setting Miag-ao Church aside, the church that stood out  for me the most was the Bacolod City Cathedral, aka the San Sebastain Cathedral. Its’s interiors is a sight to behold, especially at night time. There also seemed to be a synergy in all the elements of the church–the lighting, the altar, the arcs. Truly a work of art.

 

San Sebastian Cathedral, Bacolod City

 

 

This post is my entry to Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge with the theme Work of Art.

Retreat

The water is on the move. It’s about to retreat:

(Taken at Baler, Aurora)

 
This post is my entry to Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge with the theme On the Move.

On Top

I thought being on school break means more free time. I guess not. I am loaded with work more then even so I am hardly alive these days. Anyway, for a breather I am sharing these two photos for this week’s challenge with the theme “On Top”. These actually do not exude the “on top” perspective discussed by the challenge, but rather a “to the top” and “at the top” feeling. Nonetheless, hope you like them!

The way to the top of the hill.

The view from the top of the hill!

Belated Happy Easter everyone and I hope I have the time to post something tomorrow for my special day. 🙂

Natural Reflections

I  will let the pictures say it all. 🙂

 

Taken an Kapurpurawan Rock Formations, Ilocos Norte

 

This post is my entry to Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge with the theme Reflections.